Irene Hartmann
12/08/2020 16:09
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 12/08/2020 16:09
“I did a round of consultations with each mayor.
The vision is that, especially
at night, it is more difficult to guarantee compliance with regulations
against the coronavirus.
They reported situations to me.
In Pinamar they had to intervene before ten complaints of
parties
that could not take place.
In Villa Gesell, in some bars the protocols were not respected: distancing and wearing chinstraps.
And there was an irresponsible situation in a spa in Punta Mogotes, in Mar del Plata, of a party in a pool, without the care ”.
The summary of
Augusto Costa
, Minister of Production, Science and Technological Innovation of the province of Buenos Aires (portfolio that is responsible for the "Tourism" area), is realistic, transparent and not surprising.
He himself judged it like this: “There were no situations that were of significant gravity.
Everything moved in a frame, we would say,
reasonable
”.
Clarín
contacted Costa to find out the results of what was undoubtedly a litmus test: to rehearse, on an XXL weekend, the summer vacation 2021. It could be “reasonable”, using the minister's words, “to disband” , or neither, but represent a failure in economic terms.
An air of frank
optimism
dominated this Tuesday
.
Both in that Buenos Aires portfolio and in the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Nation, from where they shared some figures from the weekend:
630,000 people
traveled with their Summer Certificate to different destinations in the country, of which
68%
(428,000 people) they went to the province of
Buenos Aires
.
There, the ranking of favorite destinations was, 1) the Coastal Party, 2) Mar del Plata, 3) Villa Gesell, 4) Pinamar, 5) Monte Hermoso and 6) Miramar.
Groups of tourists on a beach in Mar del Plata: Photo: Christian Heit
Costa (an economist with a bulky curriculum) was calm, as if he had successfully fulfilled the goals he had set for himself: the first, to
economically activate
a sector hit hard by the pandemic.
Second, to achieve it by controlling as much as possible the demonic
reach of the coronavirus
.
Despite the titles of these hours on
clandestine parties
(at the end of this note there were 70 interventions in the Buenos Aires radio), the official said that “for two long months we have been working with the municipalities and the Nation to implement the different protocols.
Beyond some episodes, everything happened within the
expected
”.
Costa was sure of the strategy deployed in terms of controls and denied the need to add changes.
Anyway, he clarified: “We have a seasonal interministerial committee, which has representatives from the Chief of Staff, Health, Transportation and Production, among others, where next
week we are going to meet to evaluate how this first weekend was
.
There we will see if we implement something new or not.
We will do a
detailed evaluation
and take the measures that need to be taken.
But I am calm ”.
However, if one insists, the minister admits the ghosts in his head: “My concern?
We have as a reference what happened in other parts of the world where there were
outbreaks or second waves of coronavirus in the summer
.
Experiences cannot be extrapolated, but the concern is that: we may have a regrowth when the vaccine coverage is not yet available. "
For Costa, "it is central to insist on individual behavior.
The pandemic has not ended
. We have an
urgent need
for economic activity to reactivate. We have the conditions for that to happen. Let's not let there be behaviors that are contrary to that objective."
The Mar del Plata beach during the long weekend.
Photo: Christian Heit
For now, the figures for the weekend are an air in favor: “
Pinamar
received
40% more tourists
than on the same date last year.
It is very difficult to compare because in 2019 it was not a long weekend (December 8 fell on Sunday), but hotel occupancy this weekend was 69%.
Necochea was above 70%.
They are very important figures ”.
To these numbers we should add others that were provided from the Nation: such as occupancy above 80% in destinations of the Partido de la Costa and Villa Gesell, and that Mar del Plata received some 100,000 tourists.
In a brief exchange with
Clarín
, the Minister of Tourism and Sports Matías Lammens expressed his happiness for the
"high occupancy in the main destinations of the country"
, and claimed to have been "in contact with mayors, provincial officials and governors, who expressed the very high compliance with health protocols ".
Long weekend in Mar del Plata.
Photo: Christian Heit
Those who have been pointing out weaknesses on the part of the Government in the management of the pandemic, surely they will like to know that it is planned to "launch a
massive awareness campaign
, to enjoy a well-deserved vacation with the appropriate care," said Lammens, before adding : "This first experience will allow us to
adjust details
and renew our enthusiasm to have a good summer season."
Try and failure
Did everyone apply for the Summer Certificate or were there
fans
?
From the Lammens environment they clarified the imperfections that they will have to adjust.
They said that "there is a universe, a percentage of people who traveled before the certificate was mandatory."
And they recognized that some have probably ("perhaps, due to ignorance") arrived at the destinations
without the corresponding certificate
and without being checked at corresponding points.
However, Costa insisted that the clean pass is positive.
"There are isolated cases,
people who resisted wearing the chinstrap or distancing themselves
", but "most of the tourists had a responsible behavior, respecting the rules of coexistence."
Now, what will happen from now on if a person or a certain group insists on disregarding the rules that prevent coronavirus infections?
Could they "kick" them off their own vacation?
According to Costa, “the measure taken by the municipality or the provincial teams is to urge people to adapt to the behaviors.
It is about raising awareness.
There are no punitive measures
.
However, expelling someone is a municipal decision, if it is considered that it puts others at risk.
The municipality has the responsibility to
protect the rest
.
That is the message ”.
National overview
Costa clarified that, “based on surveys and surveys and intuitive analysis, tourism, this summer, will be more of
proximity
.
People do not want to be away from home, in case of any inconvenience.
We believe this is going to mark the season. "
If one considers that this weekend was a "rehearsal" of what will happen, perhaps it is a good guide to know
the most chosen destinations in each province
, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Nation, based on the 630,000 people who traveled with the Summer Certificate (which, from now on, leaves out the provinces that do not require this document).
In addition to the 428,006 that traveled through the province of Buenos Aires, 37,783 traveled through Córdoba (to Villa Carlos Paz, Mina Clavero, Santa Rosa de Calamuchita), 37,646 to Entre Ríos (to Gualeguaychú, Puerto Ibicuy, Federación, Colón, Victoria and Concepción del Uruguay) and 23,315 to Neuquén (the favorites, San Martín de los Andes, Villa la Angostura and Villa Pehuenia).
Jujuy follows on a smaller scale, with 5,917 people (who traveled through San Salvador, Tilcara, San Pedro and Purmamarca);
Río Negro, with 4,731 (mostly to Bariloche, Las Grutas and El Bolsón);
San Juan, with 4,694 (tourists who chose the capital and Rivadavia);
Santa Fe
, with 3,737 (the favorites: Rosario and Venado Tuerto);
Mendoza, with 3,665 (the strong ones: San Rafael, the capital and Godoy Cruz);
Salta, with 1,681 (mainly the capital, Oran and Cafayate, were chosen), and Tierra Del Fuego, with 1,124 travelers.
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